Meet the Cast of PURLIE VICTORIOUS, Beginning Previews on Broadway Tonight!

The first Broadway revival of the American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by legendary Ossie Davis will officially open on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at The Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th St.). Previews will begin tonight, Thursday, September 7.

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch is the rousing, laugh-filled comedy by Ossie Davis that tells the story of a Black preacher’s machinations to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church.   The play premiered on Broadway in 1961 at the Cort Theatre (now the James Earl Jones Theatre), directed by Howard Da Silva, and starred Ossie Davis as “Purlie Victorious Judson” and his wife and frequent collaborator, Ruby Dee as “Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins.” Original cast members also included: Alan Alda, Godfrey Cambridge, Sorrell Booke and Beah Richards. For its 100th performance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited the company and celebrated the milestone with them. 

Meet the cast of Purlie Victorious below!

LESLIE ODOM, JR.

Purlie Victorious Judson

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted Tony and Grammy Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres, Odom has received recognition for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music. He can currently be seen in Rian Johnson’s critically acclaimed Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, streaming worldwide on Netflix. Odom is currently in production on the highly anticipated sequel to the original iconic film The Exorcist. The film is scheduled to be released in October 2023. In 2020, Odom starred as legendary singer Sam Cooke in the award-winning Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami…, directed by Regina King. His portrayal of the soul icon and musical performance of original song “Speak Now” was met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, earning him multiple awards and nominations. He also starred in The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, released in October 2021. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom hosted “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” on CBS in September 2021 (2022 Emmy nomination). Additional film and television credits include Apple TV+’s Central Park (2020 Emmy nomination), Hamilton on Disney+ (2021 Emmy nomination), Abbott Elementary, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Love in the Time of Corona, Harriet, and many more. He is a BMG recording artist and has released four full-length albums. Co-written with Nicolette Robinson, Odom’s first children’s book, I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, will be published by Feiwel & Friends on March 28, 2023. 

Billy Eugene Jones

Gitlow Judson

Billy Eugene Jones’ Broadway credits include Fat Ham, A Soldier’s Play, The Book of Mormon, A Raisin in the Sun, The Trip to Bountiful, The Big Knife, The Mountaintop, Passing Strange, Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean. Off-Broadway credits include Fat Ham (Public Theater [Obie Award]) On Sugarland (NYTW [Obie and Audelco Award, Drama Desk Nomination]), Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Manhattan Theater Club), Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF), Pitbulls (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Jammer (Atlantic Theatre Company), In the Footprint (The Civilians), Waiting for Godot and Three Sisters (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Regional credits include Seven Guitars, Death of a Salesman, Good Faith, Richard II, Breath Boom (Yale Rep), Macbeth (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Good Negro (The Goodman), Stick Fly (Elliot Norton nomination for Best Supporting Actor/ Arena Stage and Huntington Theatre Company), Othello (CalShakes), Spunk (Actors Theatre of Louisville), The People Before the Park (Premiere Stages). Other stage credits include productions at Two River Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Hartford Stage, and numerous productions at The Dallas Theater Center. Billy is a graduate of Yale School of Drama.

Jay O. Sanders

Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee

Currently in: Primary Trust. Past Roundabout as Doolittle in Pygmalion. He was most recently seen as Falstaff in TFANA’s open workshop of Henry IV parts 1&2, Nick Laine in Conor McPherson’s Girl From The North Country, and David Michaels in Richard Nelson’s What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad, which completed The Rhinebeck Panorama; a cycle of 12 new plays which began at The Public Theater in 2010, on which he collaborated with his wife, Maryann Plunkett.  Sanders notably played the title roles in Uncle Vanya for Hunter Theater Project and Cyrano de Bergerac at the Guthrie Theater, as well as appearing in numerous television projects (True Detective, Sneaky Pete, The Sinner, Law & Order, Manhunt), films; (The Day After Tomorrow, JFK, Kiss the Girls, Edge of Darkness, Tumbleweeds, and most recently Alejandro Iñárritu’s BARDO and Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving The World), and has narrated a long list of documentaries, mostly for PBS. As a writer, his play, Unexplored Interior, delving into the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, was the inaugural production of Washington D.C.’s Mosaic Theater.

Heather Alicia Simms

Missy Judson

Broadway: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, A Raisin in the Sun. Off Broadway: Des Moines, Richard III, Fairview, Fabulation, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Barbecue, born bad. Television: “Swarm”, “Single Drunk Female”, “Kings of Napa”, “Luke Cage”, “Bull”, “Blue Books”, “High Maintenance”, “The Last O.G.” Film:  Red Hook Summer, The Nanny Diaries, Broken Flowers, Head of State. Awards and Affiliations:  Fox Foundation Fellowship, Audie Award, Obie Award, Columbia University MFA.

Vanessa Bell Calloway

Idella Landy

Currently, Starring as well as Associate Producer on the BET+ hit series “Black Hamptons”, recently nominated for an Image Award. Also, Recurring on both NBC’s “Kenan” and “This is Us”, while exercising her comedy by recurring on Showtime’s “Black Monday”playing Regina Hall’s Mother. Can be seen in Paramounts, Coming 2 America and Nate Parker’s, American Skin as well as the critically acclaimed film “HARRIET” for director Kasi Lemmon. She is the Executive Producer and series lead on the Bounce TV series “Saints & Sinners”. Known for her role on Showtimes’ “Shamelss” playing Carol, Shanola Hampton ‘s Mother and can also be seen in the critically acclaimed film Southside With You (playing Michelle Obama’s Mother). Directing episodes of “Saints & Sinners”.

Noah Robbins

Charlie Cotchipee

Noah Robbins has been seen on television most notably in Hulu’s UP HERE, Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and on Amazon’s “Forever”. His feature credits include The Trial Of The Chicago 7, The Assistant, The Week Of, Set It Up, Indignation and Miss Sloane. He has also appeared in TV Land’s “Younger”, Showtime’s “Masters Of Sex”, and Fox’s “Grease Live”.  Notable theater credits include his Broadway debut in BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, the Broadway revival of Arcadia, The Twenty-Seventh Man, Punk Rock, Clarkston, and the title role in the revival of Master Harold…And The Boys. Noah most recently appeared on Broadway in To Kill A Mockingbird opposite Jeff Daniels. He will next be seen on screen in the feature film Project Artemis with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.

Noah Pyzik

The Deputy

Noah Pyzik has been seen on the New York stage in The Chimera (Lincoln Center), Alex & Eugene (Playwrights Downtown, NY Innovative Theatre Award), Other Than We (La MaMa), Elizabeth Swados’ Nightclub Cantata (The York Theatre), Addy & Uno (Off-Broadway Alliance Award nom), Botticelli In The Fire (Lenfest Center), The American Nightmare (Teatro Latea), Daughters Rising (Dramatists Guild Foundation), What I Want You To Know (George Faison Firehouse Theatre). Regional: The Tempest, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Hand To God, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Cherry Orchard. Film: Loud & Longing, I’ll Never Forget, and the upcoming Higher Calling and Give It Back.

Bill Timoney

The Sheriff

Broadway: NETWORK and ALL THE WAY. Off-Broadway: THE IRISH CURSE at the Soho Playhouse. Other NYC stage credits include PICKING PALIN at the NYC Fringe Festival, and THE MUNDY SCHEME at the Irish Arts Center. Bill is currently performing in the world premiere of ORIGIN STORY at the Cincinnati Playhouse-in-the-Park. His other regional theatre credits include American Repertory Theater (MA), Arkansas Rep, Penobscot Theatre Company (ME), Mill Mountain Theatre (VA), Cape May Stage, and NJ Rep. Film: Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, Nadir Saribacak’s AN EXPECTATION. TV: 12 Monkeys, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Person of Interest, FBI, Mr. Robot, Billions, Hunters, and many years on All My Children portraying “Alfred Vanderpool.”

Kara Young

Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins

Kara Young made her Broadway debut in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s for which she received a Tony and a Drama Desk Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. This year, Young received her second Tony and Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play in the Pulitzer Prize winner,  Cost of Living. Her other accolades include: an Obie Award, an Audelco Award and a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal of Viola in Classical Theatre of Harlem’s, Twelfth Night;  the inaugural Florence Mills Rising Star Award from Black Women on Broadway and a Theatre World Award. Her other stage credits include All The Natalie Portmans,  Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, The New Englanders, The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll’d, Syncing Ink, and Pretty Hunger.  She will next appear as a series regular in the highly anticipated Amazon series, “I’m a Virgo,” created by Boots Riley.  Previous TV credits include: HBO Max’s “The Staircase;” Amazon’s feature “Chemical Hearts;” HBO’s  “Random Acts of Flyness;” and Netflix’s “The Punisher.”

Melvin Abston

u/s Gitlow Judson

Broadway/Tours: Death of A Salesman, Sister Act, Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical, Lion King and Little Mermaid. “Law & Order: SVU,” “Blue Bloods,” “Grey’s Anatomy.” Jaron, Stevie and Kae’s Dad!

Willa Bost

u/s Missy Judson, Idella Landy

Willa Bost is a proud mother, seasoned actress, arts educator, and all-around renaissance woman from Lumpkin, GA with extensive regional credits. This is her Broadway Debut! MFA:UNCG @willabost

Brandi Porter

u/s Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins

Broadway: Clyde’s, A Bronx Tale. 1st Nat’l: A Bronx Tale. Select Credits: Trevor, Ain’t No Mo’ *Helen Hayes Nominee, Little Shop of Horrors, Nunsense. MSA, SAKS&. For my Grandparents. IG:@thebrandiporter

DONALD WEBBER JR.

Purlie Victorious Judson standby

Broadway: Hamilton, Motown (OBC), Holler If Ya Hear Me (OBC). Off Broadway: Whorl Inside A Loop. Renascence. TV: “Severance” (Apple+). “The Punisher” (Netflix). “The Wiz Live!” (NBC). 143, RCW.

Photo Credit: PurlieVictorious.com